The Americana at Brand

The Americana at Brand is a large outdoor shopping community in Glendale, California. The site is owned by Caruso Affiliated, a real estate development of many other projects such as The Grove at Farmers Market in Los Angeles, CA. Americana at Brand has 75 retail shops and a variety of dining options. The Americana includes 100 condominiums and 238 apartments.

The Americana project stirred debate in Glendale for four years; with some merchants fearing the Grove-style “lifestyle center” would hurt businesses for stores along Brand Boulevard and in the Glendale Galleria. Some residents worried about overdevelopment and traffic.

Both The Americana and The Grove are organized upon the idea of a city center-with a mix of architectural styles, building heights and materials used, as well as vast open spaces at the projects’ center. Caruso Affiliated often sets their developments in place and time. The architectural style of the Americana is meant to reflect the industrial era, including a massive elevator shaft with exposed steel beams, in contrast to The Grove, which is based on 1940s Charleston, South Carolina. The Americana at Brand is much like The Grove in that it is designed to appear like a public space, but is private property, and is protected as such. However, the 2-acre park in the center of the complex is entirely public property, and a new place for LA tours to frequent.